“The scrapbooks included their stories, along with photos. I wondered how many more of them were out there,” recalled Smith, who earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and experimental psychology and is pursuing a master’s degree in College Student Development.
In his new full time position, Smith is the military and academic coach in Alfred University’s Pamela L. Bernstein Center for Academic Advising. Smith, a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, provides guidance and mentorship in assisting military service members, veterans, dependents and ROTC cadets as they pursue their education at Alfred University.
Early this year, Smith decided he would pursue more stories—like those included in the scrapbooks in the Herrick Library Archives—from Alfred University’s veteran alumni, including former students who joined the military after leaving Alfred, and ROTC cadets who graduated as commissioned Army officers. The University was planning to honor that group of alumni during its 2020 Reunion in June and Smith wanted to get as many AU veteran alumni back to campus as possible.
Alfred University has a long and storied connection to the U.S. military. Every male member of the Class of 1861 at Alfred went off to fight for the Union during the Civil War. During the World War era, the University hosted an Army Specialized Training Program unit on campus, housed in the Brick residence hall. Students and local residents trained in preparation for combat, and many were called to serve during the World Wars. Our University has had a Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) program since 1952.
Last March, Smith created a page on the Military and Veteran webpages titled “Tell Us Your Story.” Former Alfred University students who served in the military could provide biographical and contact information, and relate their memories and experiences of their time at Alfred University, participation in the ROTC program, and their service after leaving Alfred.
“I thought it would be cool to collect their stories. It’s a way to keep their memories permanently archived at Alfred. It shows we care about their experiences: their time at AU, participating in ROTC, their service in the military,” Smith said. “This is really an effort to reconnect our military alumni with the University and each other. There are so many people who want to tell their stories. When I talk to (AU veteran alumni) about my role here, we connect instantly and they want to talk about their experiences here.”
Smith said about 10 veteran alumni have made submissions to the “Tell Us Your Story” webpage and he hopes to get many more. The information will help the University’s Advancement Office update its files on alumni with a military background, ultimately building a better database, and it will help Smith’s efforts to boost the turnout at Alumni Reunion. While the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of last June’s Reunion, Smith said plans are to include alumni veterans as an honored group at Reunion 2021.
The stories collected thus far are snapshots in the long history and heritage of military service at Alfred University, and Smith hopes for many more submissions to the “Tell Us Your Story” website. He said efforts to collect and archive the stories, along with plans to honor veterans and service members at Alumni Reunion and on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, reflect the University’s deep appreciation for those who have served.
“We really want to thank our veterans and service members—those connected directly to the University as well as those from the local communities—and remind them that we support them and remember their sacrifices,” Smith said.
“As Veterans Day approaches, we want to share the stories of the many alumni who have served our country. Here are just a few.”
Col. (Ret.) Morgan F. “Mo” Denny ’70
“I was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, United States Army, Finance Corps from the Alfred University ROTC program in the first week of May 1970 on the grassy field next to the ROTC building. This was the year of the Kent State University shootings and much unrest in the United States because of the Viet Nam war. At Alfred there were student demonstrations and a threat of burning the ROTC building which quite frankly would not have bothered most of us that had classes in the building.”
Denny, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Alfred University, retired in 1996 after a 26-year career in the Army, spending his last five years as the Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer for the Army National Guard in the Pentagon.
“A long story and career, which started within Alfred University and the ROTC Department,” Denny remarked. “I did not envision a career within the Army but I was significantly challenged with rewarding assignments and came to love serving alongside many great soldiers. What I learned growing up at Alfred University was not just the classwork, but how to get along with people and ultimately leadership skills. I am proud of my military service that grew out of being a cadet within the Alfred University ROTC Department.”
Steven Armbrister ’69
“When I was a student at Alfred, all male students were required to take ROTC their freshman and sophomore years. I decided to continue ROTC in my junior year for a couple reasons. Due to the draft and what I had seen happen to some of my friends that lost their 2-S status, I knew I was destined to enter the military after graduation. I felt that entering as an officer was a much better option than going in as an enlisted man. Plus, I would be paid $50 a month! I'd be a RMOC (Rich Man On Campus).”
Armbrister earned a B.S. degree in ceramic engineering who graduated from Alfred commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. In the summer of 1969, he was awarded an assignment as the Shop Maintenance officer with a maintenance company in the 1st Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, in charge of 125 warrant officers and enlisted men maintaining the division's vehicles, small arms, electronics, and helicopters. Armbrister called it his “dream job” and attributed his success in the position to “the organizational skills I had acquired at Alfred and in ROTC.” He would serve two years in Vietnam before returning to civilian life in February 1972.
“I'm very proud of my military service and my ROTC experience at Alfred,” Armbrister said. “In retrospect, I wouldn't have changed a thing.”
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Robert Grossman ’62
Robert Grossman probably never imagined during his time at Alfred that he would enjoy a two-decade career in the military. “Alfred University required attendance in ROTC during my years there. I absolutely hated the first two years and took the last two only on the insistence of my parents,” he recalled.
Grossman graduated from Alfred with a degree in ceramic engineering and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. At the time, he was committed to fulfilling his two-year commitment to the Army and then putting his degree to use. He spent two years at the U.S. Army Training Center in Fort Knox. “I liked the Army and over the next 19 years I had two tours in Viet Nam, one as an advisor and the second with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a tour in Korea with the United Nations Command, duty with the 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment, two teaching assignments, and seven years in personnel management.”
Grossman earned a M.S. in Library Science from Our Lady of the Lake University and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1983. After the Army, he join the United Services Life Insurance Company and became Vice President of Marketing, responsible for insurance production in the United States, Europe and Asia.
John (Jack) Allard ’78
“During high school, I applied for and received a full four-year Army ROTC scholarship. As a result, when looking for where to go to college, there were two requirements: the university had to offer an Army ROTC program, and have a curriculum in math and science. Since I had no other priorities or idea of where life would lead me, I simply picked the first college on the list. Since the list was sorted alphabetically, and the ceramic engineering program was high on the list, that is how I came to Alfred University.”
Midway through his time at Alfred, in 1978, the ROTC on-campus program was discontinued, and cadets were required to commute to St. Bonaventure and participate in required classes. “I came very close to transferring out to Penn State after my sophomore year, but all the friendships I had built up at Alfred and the small town feeling that has always been a part of Alfred caused me to stay,” he said.
Allard earned a degree in ceramic engineering in 1978 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He served seven years active duty before resigning his Captain’s commission and returning to civilian life. Highlights of his military career include being part of the Operational Testing of the new Patriot missile system, attending the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey to learn German, and spending three years in Germany, where he met his wife of 34 years, Annelene. In 1986, Allard began a career at Corning Inc. He currently serves as European Engineering Manager for Corning Gmbh in Wiesbaden, Germany.
“I have traveled the world for Corning, something that I never would have been able to do if it hadn`t been for Alfred University having an Army ROTC program in 1974, and being at the start of the alphabet,” Allard remarked.
